Takoway Wants You To Think Like An Octopus In This Mind-Bending Puzzle Game

By Intan Mawarni | October 4, 2019

Why do you think everyone is scared of an octopus?

Before I give the answer, let me tell you a tale of a six-legged octopus named Tako the hexapus. She was being held captive and experimented by humans until one day, she successfully teleported outside of her lab cage on her own. Bewildered, she needs all the help she can get by befriending eccentric sea creatures such as Cucumbros the sea cucumbers to assist her in maneuvering through bizarre lab terrains.

This is the story of Takoway, a puzzle mobile game developed by Singaporean-based indie studio Hexagoon Studios and published by Daylight Studios under the guidance of DaylightX, which is a mentorship program to help up-and-coming Singaporean game developers.

From the students who developed the outer space puzzle game entitled Weightless, Takoway requires players to peek into another perspective by swiping the screen left to right or vice versa in order to solve puzzles inspired by the Necker Cube optical illusion.

I talked to the team behind Takoway about creating a well-balanced commercial puzzle game and facing the challenges of becoming indie game developers in Singapore. The team is consisted of CEO Wallace See, CTO Brandon Swee, Game Designer Hazzry Shafaruan, Game Programmers Kok Han Yi & Matthew Chan and Game Artists Natasha Athalia Claire Tai.

MyGameOn (MGO): Are there any unique features of Takoway that you like to tell the players?

Hazzry: The one thing that is unique about Takoway is the use of the sliderthat allows you to switch between interior and exterior perspectives. This particular mechanic has not been seen anywhere in the current games market. Even when they do involve perspective-shifting, it is usually on a “trigger” basis. I really hope that players enjoy this new way of playing, having the power to control how much of the game world to change. We also added this dual-perspective element into other facets of the game; more than just the gameplay. I won’t say too much but do keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Swipe left and right to see the changes of the puzzle level

MGO: What are the challenges in developing Takoway?

Hazzry: For the most part of the project, more than half of the team was still in university so there was the constant struggle of having to balance both schoolwork and Takoway work. We all had to work independently and at different timings of the day. To overcome this, we ensured that we synced up our efforts and workflow at least once a week, constantly kept each other in check and made sure that we’re all moving in the same direction.

Another is our inexperience. We had to pick up new skills and right our wrongs as we went along with the development process. It wasn’t easy, but we are thankful to have met wonderful, talented individuals along the way who helped ease the process.

Brandon: The need to make a living out of it and making a game that can put food on the table. Because of that, experimentation, learning and making mistakes are much more difficult to justify because it becomes sunk cost in time (and therefore money). Making a game that fits our vision in a specified amount of time, all while ensuring it sells well, that’s an equation I found (and still find) hard to balance.

Matthew: From a programming perspective, we found ourselves running into a lot of problems that we had to create our own solutions because no one else would ever run into these issues. For example, when we were writing the shaders for Takoway, certain things like depth buffers wouldn’t completely work the way we would want them to. A lot of time was put into working through the limitations we had to get the game looking the way we wanted.

Natasha: Because of our decision to use minimal text and words in our game, from a storyline/cutscene perspective, it was tough to convey our intended message and story. We had to go through multiple iterations of our cutscenes to ensure that players’ interpretation of the story is in line with ours. But through the struggles, there was also a wonderful revelation. The whole process made me realise the different ways people can interpret stills and images, some that I would never have been able to think of on my own. Because of this, I felt that it led to a better story for the game.

Tako on her way out of the lab

MGO: After creating Weightless, which is also a puzzle-based game, are you more confident in making puzzles that can be enjoyed by both casual and veteran of puzzle games?

Hazzry: I definitely feel that I am more confident in designing puzzles but at the same time, there is still so much for me to learn! I wasn’t very confident with myself in making a puzzle game for commercial release but well, sometimes the best way to learn is to throw yourself into the deep end of the pool. 

Casual and veteran (or hardcore) puzzle-game enthusiasts enjoy very different puzzle experiences and it’s almost impossible to cater to both at the same time. There is a need to choose the audience that you are designing for. I wouldn’t consider Takoway as a game for hardcore puzzle enthusiasts (unlike games like The Witness or The Talos Principle), but if given the opportunity and circumstances to design one for the said audience, I’d definitely be up for the challenge!

MGO: In what way does the DaylightX program help you as a budding game developer?

Brandon: As an indie studio, it’s not just about making the game but also everything else surrounding it. The press contacts for the mobile market, the knowhows of marketing a game, localization and even lending us a helping hand with development during busy periods all helped in our development process. It’s all these little things that add up in making me realise the complexity in bringing a full game to the market.

Matthew: In a market as open to competition as the games industry, selling your game has to go beyond just putting it out there. Having a larger game development company that already has credentials to not only guide us through with marketing efforts but to also back your game really helps with the visibility of our game.

Wallace: DaylightX brought us through a crash course in the workflow of a game company. We have learned to not make the same mistakes they made when they first started out (like not thinking of localisation implementations from the start), tips on how to market our game effectively on our own and good practices in development to ensure that we meet deadlines.

Wacky sea creatures will assist you in multi-dimensional terrains such as producing sea bubble, spinning wheel, and sea portals

MGO: What kind of advice would you like to give for Singaporean and Southeast Asia (SEA) developers who want to make a break into the gaming industry?

Hazzry: Figure out how to stand out. With the video game market becoming increasingly saturated as the years go by, the need to stand out from all the clutter is vital for the survival of not just your game, but your game company, especially so if you’re doing it full time. Once you’ve identified that unique feature, highlight it A WHOLE LOT. Make it the star, make it pretty, make it feel good, and then proceed to show everyone on the face of this earth. Make full use of the reach and virality that social media enables you – Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit is your best friend!

Claire: Make connections. Human resources are the best form of resources you can get; they can benefit not just your game, but also help you grow as an individual in ways that could surprise you. 

Matthew: I do think that in Singapore or SEA in general, we happen to sit at the crossroads of the Western and Asian cultures. The best thing to do is to take advantage of this position we have and create things people haven’t seen before. I say this because that’s one of the things that can make a game stand out.

Hanyi: Try to get your ideas out early and get feedback on it. I think as a starting developer, it is hard to judge whether your idea is good or not. Hence, it is important to get validation from other people, so you know whether it is worth to invest more time into it. 

Natasha: Find the right people to work with. It is important to work with people that are on the same wavelength with you in terms of vision, ambition, and even work or creative style.

Wallace: Know what you are up against and have a clear understanding of what makes you stand out. Once you’ve got that down, work hard for your goals and don’t settle for anything less. Always remember that you are in control of the outcome of this endeavour, never blame external factors for your failures. Keep learning and make better decisions!

Meet Edgar the sea snail, Chuck the salamander and adorable Tako

Have you figured out the answer to the question above? It’s because the octopus is well-armed.

Now it’s your turn to make good use of those arms. Takoway is now available on Android and iOS for RM11.99 and RM12.90 respectively. Follow the adventures of Tako and her sea creature buddies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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